Let’s throw climate change into the thread.
Nope. No can do. Mike does not want to get into that, and has said all that needs to be said! 
“Without getting into the complicated issue of climate change, it is fair to say that work in the vineyard has been greatly helped – in the Northern Hemisphere, anyway – by more favorable growing conditions over the last two decades.”
I am here only to address the things that may vex David Bueker. I mean, other than ME, about which there is obviously nothing constructive to be done…
It’s well written but I’m not buying it, sorry. Especially the viticulture part, when on one hand the current trend in quality is to go back to the state of viticulture of 50+ years ago, and on the other hand entire viticultural areas look like lunar landscapes.
Re: Keith’s choice, one would be crazy not to set the clock at anything before 2014, if only because of the 20/20 hindsight and stupidly low prices.